Bencivengo cleans out campaign accounts for charity

Former Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo has started clearing his campaign house.

The convicted felon has donated more than $50,000 from his campaign accounts to charities in and around the township.

A letter he sent along with the donation checks said “I have decided to donate funds to organizations and institutions that as mayor I learned were significant to a better quality of life for all people, every race every color and every creed.”

The donations have not gone over so well with all the charities. Steve Gould, president of the Hamilton Police Benevolent Association, said the group declined the $10,000 donation offered by Bencivengo this week.

He said that while it would be legal for them to accept the donation, and the organization could have done good with it, they preferred not to get involved.

“For us, we would just rather stay out of the whole situation,” he said.

A Hamilton YMCA staffer said the organization did not receive any donations yet from the campaign, the Friends of John Bencivengo.

Last month a jury convicted Bencivengo last month of taking $12,400 in bribes from the government’s cooperating witness, Marliese Ljuba in exchange for his influence with several members of the school board on her behalf as the district’s health insurance broker.

Vinnie Cappodano, former Democratic councilman, said the mayor had decided to try and do the best he could with the situation he found himself in.

“He wanted me to let the people of Hamilton Township know how much he loved being their mayor and how much he loved the town and loved the people and how much he wished them well in the new year,” he said. “I hope people remember all the good he’s done for the town.”

Cappodano said Bencivengo offered donations to the following charities:

Hamilton Police Benevolent Association, $10,000

Trenton Catholic Academy, $5,000

Our Lady of Angels Parish, $5,000

Hamilton YMCA, $5,000Sunshine Foundation, $5,000

Hamilton Patriotic Committee, $5,000

Wounded Warrior Project, $5,000

Mobile Meals of Hamilton $5,000

The Arc of Mercer, $2,000Mercer Street Friends, $2,000

Veterans of Foreign Wars post 3525, $2,000

Hamilton Education Foundation, $2,000

Knights of Columbus, $1,800An October Election Law Enforcement Commission filing showed Bencivengo had about $60,000 in his campaign account.